Improvement in gas-retorts



W. SMITH. Gas-Retort.

N0.l63,8l8.

WH JvEssEs IINVEJVTOR L t Z;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM SMITH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO B. H. SMITH ANDJOSHUA GOLDTHORP, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-RETORTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 163,8 [8, dated May 25,1875; application filed March 17, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SMITH, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Retorts for the Manufacture ofIlluminating-Gas and do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a retort for the manufacture of illuminating gas, as will behereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my retort placed in position on anordinary round stove. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same.

A represents the retort, cast or made in one solid piece-that is to say,without joints and is provided with a central opening, B, for the flameor fire. This central aperture may be of any desired shape to suit thefire-place or furnace into which it is put, and the section of the bodyof the retort may be circular, oval, square, or any other suitable form.The retort A is provided with hollow projecting bosses O G, which answerthe following purposes: They serve as supports for the core, which formsthe interior when the retort is made of iron, and admit of the escape ofthe gases generated by the process of casting. When completed, theyserve for the introduction of the material from which theilluminating-gas is made, and for the escape of the same on its way tothe gas-holder. They also serve as supports for holding the retort inits place in the furnace. Two or more of these bosses may be formed withthe retort A, and the fire-pot of the furnace D is formed with suitablenotches, as shown, within which the bosses are rested, and form abearing to support the same.

In Figs. 1 and 2 I have shown a retort with four bosses in position inthe bottom part of any ordinary round stove, D, the bosses serving assupports, and showing apertures or spaces a for the passage of the flamebetween the body of the stove and the retort. b b represent the inletand outlet tubes inserted in two of the bosses, the other two beingclosed by means of screw-plugs d d.

These retorts may be made of any suitable material, such as clay, iron,copper, &c., and the bosses may be placed at any point of the outsidediameter of the retort that may be deemed desirable, either above orbelow the center, or even on the extreme edge of the retort. A retortconstructed in this manner forms a perfectly safe portablegas-generator, and can be used on cars and boats where retorts withfluid metallic seals would be inadmissible.

I do not broadly claim a circular retort having center opening, andsuspended Within a fire-box, as I am aware such is not new.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- Incombination with a fire box, D, having notches at its top, the circularretort A, having two or more hollow projecting bosses, O, resting in thenotches in the stove or fire-box, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this19th day of February, 1875.

WILLIAM SMITH. Witnesses:

J. B. GEYSER, J OHN NIcHoLs.

